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The Weird Week in Review

Eagle Drops Poodle Into a Better Life

A female poodle fell out of the sky onto the grounds of Shorncliffe Nursing Home in Sechelt, British Columbia. Talon marks in her back indicate that she was probably dropped by an eagle who became tired of the dog's 18-pound weight. The nursing home staff sent the poodle, later named Miracle May, to the Sunshine Coast SPCA. The eagle likely saved her life in the long run. May showed signs of longtime neglect, including rotted teeth and claws that were growing into her paw pads. She is recovering after medical intervention by the SPCA, but the Society needs donations to pay for her care.

Man Eats 25,000 Big Macs In 39 Years

Don Gorske of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, celebrated the purchase of a new car in 1972 by buying three Big Macs -and liked them so much that he bought six more that same day. Gorske began to eat Big Macs every day, usually two a day, for the next 39 years. Tuesday, the local McDonalds marked the occasion of Gorske's 25,000th Big Mac. It was not the first milestone. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized him three years ago, and he appeared in the 2004 film Supersize Me.

"I plan on eating Big Macs until I die," he said. "I have no intentions of changing. It's still my favorite food. Nothing has changed in 39 years. I look forward to it every day."

Gorske admits that he is probably obsessive-compulsive. He eats every Big Mac in exactly 16 bites, and keeps each box the sandwiches come in.

Fugitive Found Shopping for Bolt Cutters

Pensacola, Florida, police arrested 19-year-old Michael Jay Scott over a fight and took him to a hospital to treat his injuries. He sneaked out of the hospital, still in handcuffs. Later, police received a call from Home Depot employees about a suspicious customer. Scott had attempted to use bolt cutters at the store to remove the handcuffs, but was unsuccessful. He ran out the back of the store and climbed over a fence, but police caught up with him soon after. Scott was in possession of other items taken from Home Depot. He was taken back to the hospital, under closer watch.

The Pink Panther

A litter of kittens was dumped at a concrete factory in Redruth, Cornwall, England. The three girls and a boy were taken to an animal shelter named Cats Protection. The staff fed the kittens and washed them, but the reddish tint of the concrete dust won't come off! Three of the kittens are dark, but one is still stained pink -and will be until her fur grows out. So they named her Pink Panther! The other kittens were named Clouseau, Dusty, and Cerise.

Exploding Watermelons

The watermelon crops around Danyang in eastern China tend to explode this year. Watermelons from 20 farmers covering 45 hectares have been affected. The culprit is believed to be forchlorfenuron, a chemical growth accelerator that stimulates cell separation. Agricultural experts say the chemical was applied too late to the watermelon plants, which caused them to swell and suddenly burst. The use of fertilizers and other chemicals for agriculture is encouraged in China, and farmers receive discounts and subsidies for the chemicals. Many farmers now grow separate crops for their own consumption, and only use chemicals on their commercial crops. Experts say the use of forchlorfenuron is safe for the consumer, but can leave watermelons misshapen and unfit for sale.

Cow Coincidences Cause Cowshed Conflagration

A traffic accident in New Zealand started an almost-unbelievable chain reaction. A motorist was traveling near the town of Kaponga Friday night when he hit a cow, killing it.

The animal was thrown over the top of the car, peeling back the bonnet and shattering the windscreen. The car smashed into a pole which caused a power surge to race along the wires into the farmer's house.

The same surge blew up the cowshed meter board and set it on fire. However, it melted a water line directly above which extinguished the blaze.

The driver was not seriously injured.

Man Says Hospital Tattooed His Butt

Sheng Xianhui of Kunming, China went into a hospital to have gall stones removed. A week after surgery, his wife noticed a tattoo on his rear end. Sheng claims that the staff at Yunnan Stone Disease Hospital tattooed his backside with characters meaning "stone disease" while he was in surgery. Now he refuses to leave the hospital, saying that if he does, the hospital will say he had the tattoo done elsewhere. Police were called to evict the patient. Sheng welcomed the police involvement, but says he is staying. Hospital staff blames the marks on a possible allergic reaction.

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Also on Mental Floss:

DID YOU KNOW? Marlon Brando hated memorizing lines so much that he posted cue cards everywhere to help him get through scenes.
He even asked for lines to be written on an actress's posterior. (That request was denied.)